[SEI]

The Shiley Eye Institute (SEI) and the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at UC San Diego are honored to announce the appointment Christopher Girkin, MD, MSPH as the inaugural Viterbi Family Chair of Optic Nerve Biology.

Girkin joined SEI as a faculty member in 2024 with an active medical and surgical practice, specializing in glaucoma and complex cataracts. Following his fellowship at SEI in 1998, he founded the Glaucoma Division at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and served as Department Chair from 2012-2022.

Girkin completed residency training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed a glaucoma fellowship at the SEI as well as a fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University.

Girkin has authored or coauthored over 300 peer-reviewed articles. He has received numerous awards, including the Visionary Award from the EyeSight Foundation of Alabama, Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology, and was inducted into the Glaucoma Research Society. He has served as President of the American Glaucoma Society.

As the inaugural holder of the Viterbi Family Chair of Optic Nerve Biology, Girkin’s work pushes the boundaries of ophthalmology by combining groundbreaking research and leading-edge clinical imaging studies. This chair will allow Girkin to continue his work bridging structural biomechanics and neurobiology to define the critical first steps that cause glaucoma in the human eye, develop new strategies to preserve vision health for individuals and take bold steps toward new discoveries.

"The Viterbi Family Chair of Optic Nerve Biology supports our efforts to understand how the cells in the eye respond to changes in eye pressure, how these responses cause glaucoma, and how they can be modified to prevent or reverse this blinding disease," said Girkin.

The Viterbi Family Chair of Optic Nerve Biology is one of six endowed chairs established by philanthropist Andrew J. Viterbi, PhD. Viterbi donated $50 million to create the six chair positions, build The Andrew and Erna Viterbi Family Vision Research Center and establish the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology within the School of Medicine at UC San Diego. Viterbi’s immense generosity honors his father, Achille Viterbi, a respected ophthalmologist.

“I am deeply grateful to Dr. Viterbi, who made these endowed chairs for the Department possible. Dr. Girkin’s research and his outstanding career reflect the values this endowment was created to uphold,” said Robert N. Weinreb, MD, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Director of the Shiley Eye Institute.

The Viterbi Family Chair of Optic Nerve Biology was established to support the teaching and research activities of the chair-holder. As one of the most prestigious honors bestowed upon faculty, endowed chairs recognize professors whose innovative work leads their field, impacts our dynamic campus community and transforms our world.

UC San Diego Shiley Eye Institute

Media Contact:
Naomi Kleinschmit


nkleinschmit@health.ucsd.edu